Russian mercenaries may be poised for further expansion in Africa’s strategically important Sahel region after the latest coup d’etat in the region, western officials and analysts fear.
Ibrahim Traoré, a 34-year-old army captain, took power in Burkina Faso on Friday, overthrowing Lt Col Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who he accused of failing to effectively counter rising violence by Islamic extremists in the unstable and poverty-stricken country.
The international community widely condemned the ousting of Damiba, who himself overthrew the country’s democratically elected president in January.
